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Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Zoomdweebies
Tea Description:
Organic Royal Golden Yunnan infused with organic eggnog flavors, cinnamon chips, marigold petals and a touch of nutmeg. This long, tippy-leafed Yunan steeps a smooth cup with rich aroma and superb taste. The hints of creamy eggnog and spices just makes it an extra special treat.
Learn more about this tea here.
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Taster’s Review:
After reading the various tasting notes on Steepster about this tea, I decided to let it cool a bit before I started to formulate my opinion about it.
The aroma of the tea wafting out of my teacup made the waiting difficult because it smells so good. I can smell notes of creamy eggnog with notes of cinnamon and nutmeg. The fragrance of the cinnamon is especially praise-worthy in my opinion.
Cinnamon can sometimes come off as a very aggressive scent (and don’t get me wrong, I love the strong smell of cinnamon!) but here it’s so pleasantly delicate, reminiscent of what I might smell when I prepare snickerdoodle blondies. (Seriously, try that recipe, you’ll be glad you did.)
This is a really tasty tea. I like the Yunnan base. It’s a strong, robust tea and it has a really pleasing flavor. It’s an earthy, slightly peppery, rich tasting tea: a really good Yunnan – one that I’d be happy to drink as a pure tea.
Some would think that it’s wrong to flavor a tea like this, but I’m not one of them. I don’t agree that the only teas that should be flavored are the ones that aren’t good enough to be consumed as a pure tea. I think that if you start with better ingredients (including a better base tea), you’re going to have a better product. This is true of whatever you’re making, whether you’re making a soup or a batch of cookies or a cup of tea. You need quality ingredients to produce a quality product.
And I’m very happy with the quality of this Yunnan.
The flavoring is not quite as strong as I expected it to be. The eggnog flavor is definitely there but this isn’t as creamy as I would have expected it to be. I guess if I’m to offer a criticism about the tea, that would be it: it lacks a little in the creaminess department. When one pours a glass of eggnog, they are anticipating a very creamy drink. This just isn’t as creamy as the “Eggnog” part of the name of this tea would imply.
At the same time, I find it hard to actually complain about this because I think that if this were creamier or more eggnog-y, it would interfere with my enjoyment of the Yunnan tea and I really like the Yunnan!
The notes of spice are really nicely done here: accent notes of cinnamon and nutmeg. Nothing overpowering. The spices are but a hint of flavor, just as it would be if you were to drink eggnog. The eggnog recipes that I know of don’t include cinnamon usually – usually nutmeg but not cinnamon – but I like that hint of cinnamon and I really like the way it plays with the natural spice notes of the Yunnan.
Overall, I enjoyed this tea. I found that adding a small amount of half & half (about half a teaspoon!) to the cup amplified the creaminess factor significantly without otherwise altering the flavor. I still got that really lovely Yunnan flavor, wonderfully warm hints of cinnamon and nutmeg and more eggnog flavor with the dash of dairy, so I highly recommend this addition to this tea!
Royal Phoenix Oolong Tea from The Tao of Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: The Tao of Tea
Tea Description:
The Phoenix Mountains (Fenghuang Shan) in Guangdong, China are home to famous varietals in oolong teas. In our last visit to this area, we studied at least seven different varietals. Notable and popular amongst them is the Mi Lan (Honey Orchid) varietal. Our name for it is Royal Phoenix.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I spent my evening enjoying this Royal Phoenix Oolong Tea from The Tao of Tea. It’s splendid, and what a wonderful tea with which to just sit back and relax. Beautifully fragrant and so flavorful.
I enjoyed four fabulous cups of this tea (I combine two infusions in each cup, resulting in eight infusions total). I think my third cup was my favorite, because it was in this cup that the flavors became very seamless and it was a harmonious experience in flavor.
My first cup offered me a soft, honeyed flavor with notes of sweet fruit with just a hint of sour, reminding me very much of a fresh plum. There were notes of wood and a sort of rustic, earthy note, as well as hints of fragrant flower. The first cup was the softest of the four cups I enjoyed, but, it was still very flavorful.
The second cup was more honey-ish than the first, with the sweeter notes of the fruit starting to emerge over the tart notes. The flavors were still very focused in this cup, and it wasn’t until the third cup where the flavors seemed to mellow a little bit and meld into one another and become very smooth and beautifully mellifluous.
The fourth cup, the flavors continue to soften and meld. However, I noticed that the honey notes were subdued and that is what made the biggest difference for me between cups three and four and why cup three was my favorite, and why I decided to stop at four cups. The honey notes are just so luscious!
A really enjoyable Oolong.
The Royal Wedding White Tea Blend from Tea For All Reasons
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Tea for All Reasons
Tea Description:
White Champagne Raspberry Rose – An exceptional blend of White Champagne Raspberry Tea with Rose Petals and Pearl Dragees that is striking in flavor though light and delicate; a blend truly fit for a future king and queen.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
This Royal Wedding White Tea Blend from Tea For All Reasons is a really pretty blend. I’m not usually one to really appreciate the whimsy of candy sprinkles in a tea blend, but, I like the pearl dragees in this. There aren’t a LOT of them in this, and maybe that’s why I can appreciate them in this blend. There’s just a couple tossed in this for some added splendor to the dry leaf.
Each flavor presents itself softly to the palate – the white tea is subtle, with it’s light, airy, earthy notes. The rose is also subtle – adding just a hint of it’s distinctive floral quality to the cup. I like the way the rose petals complement the champagne and raspberry flavors.
The raspberry is sweet with just a twinge of tartness to it that tickles the tip of the tongue in the aftertaste. The champagne … is a very delicate taste, tasting ever so softly of grapes. I can almost “taste” the bubbles too.
It’s a really nice blend, and a nice way to commemorate the royal wedding. But since they’ve been married for a while, I guess what I shall raise my cup to is the newest addition to the royal family!
Royal Tea of Kenya Tajiri Black from Grey’s Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Grey’s Teas
Tea Description:
A rare and wonderful orthodox tea from Kenya: Royal Tajiri was planted over fifty years ago on naturally fertile soils at an altitude of 6700 ft in Gatundu District, amongst the foothills of Mount Kenya, alongside the Rundu and Mukengeria rivers. This gorgeous, orthodox, large leaf tea is neatly twisted and has a lovely appley and caramel aroma. In the cup it is deep bronze. It is full bodied, rich and smooth. Brew for four minutes. It may be drunk with milk.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The first thing I noticed with this tea (besides the large, twisted leaves!) was the aroma of the brewed tea – as the description suggests, there is a distinct apple-like note with hints of caramel to the fragrance of this Royal Tea of Kenya Tajiri Black from Grey’s Teas. It smells … irresistible – very autumnal!
As I sip it, I’m wishing I could taste the apple that I enjoyed in scent of the tea, but there are only mere hints of a fruit-like tone. It isn’t as distinctly apple as the aroma. But, that’s not to say that this is not a wonderful tea … it IS. It’s really quite a delicious tea … I just kind of got my hopes up when I smelled that apple.
But there IS a delectable caramel-y tone to this tea that brings a wonderful sweetness to the sip. The tea is rich and robust. I taste hints of a peppery like spice to it … it’s in the distance, but, with every sip, I find myself noticing just a slight hint of that pepper … as if someone ground a peppercorn in the tea when it was brewed. There isn’t enough there to really call this a peppery or a spicy tea … or even a warmly spiced tea … but just this faint, vague whisper of pepper.
There is a fair amount of astringency to this tea, that brings a drying sensation toward the finish and into the aftertaste. The aftertaste is sweet and slightly earthy. Overall, this is a very enjoyable cup of tea – it would make a great first thing in the morning kind of cup … as well as a great way to perk up mid-day when you need a refreshing jolt. I like it served hot – straight up! But … if you want to go a little indulgent … try it with a drizzle of maple syrup. OH my!
Royal Golden Safari Black Tea from Butiki Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Butiki Teas
Tea Description:
Our truly exceptional Royal Golden Safari originates from a small scale farm in Kenya and has long golden leaves that mingle with milk chocolate and cacao colored leaves. Toasted walnut and oaky notes are prominent with a light pear undertone. Cocoa notes are also present. This orthodox tea does not contain any pesticides. Our Royal Golden Safari is part of the “Teas 4 Trees” line of teas that pays tribute to Professor Wangari Muta Maathai by donating a portion of profits to environmental initiatives of small-scale tea farmers.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
OH… this Royal Golden Safari black tea from Butiki Teas is absolutely divine!
There is a prominent note of cocoa with a delightful undertone of caramel that dances on the tongue. And yes, the description does not lie: I also taste warm, toasty walnut and a delicious fruity undertone. I also taste notes of spice and oak.
The cup is sweet and so wonderfully complex. I love that with each sip I notice something different. The spiced notes I mentioned before are not what I’d call “spicy” but instead, it’s sort of a gentle warmth that you might liken to the flavor of a sweet potato that has been lightly seasoned with cinnamon. It doesn’t taste of a distinct spice, just that warm sort of flavor that is comforting and cozy.
It comes as no surprise that this would be a really delicious tea – after all, Butiki Teas continually impresses me with their outstanding quality and exceptional tasting tea. This tea is no different – the flavor is amazing and the quality is second to none. They are definitely one of my favorite tea companies for this reason. I highly recommend this one if you’ve not tried it yet!